1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to waking a sleeping computerized device, and in particular to waking a sleeping device remotely using a multicast packet.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Some computers are configured to save power by transitioning to a low power state during a period of inactivity. For example, if a user leaves a computer idle for a period of time, the computer may transition into a low-power state. The computer may transition back into a normal-power state in response to receiving user input, such as a button press or mouse movement. When the computer is in the low power state, it is said to be “asleep,” and when the computer is in a state powered for normal operation, the computer is said to be “awake.”
A problem can arise when a user wishes to remotely access a computer that is asleep. For example, a person who is at home may wish to remotely access an office computer to obtain a file stored on the office computer. If the office computer is asleep, the office computer may not be able to communicate with other computers. Since the user is remote from the office computer, the user is unable to press a button or move the mouse on the office computer to wake it up.
One prior technique for waking up a computer remotely is to program the computer's network adapter to wake up the computer upon reception of an address resolution protocol (ARP) request directed to the computer.